The Elements of the Statement of Cash Flows - dummies (2024)

The purpose of the statement of cash flows is to show cash sources and uses during a specific period of time — in other words, how a company brings in cash and for what costs the cash goes back out the door. Therefore, the statement of cash flows contains certain components of both the income statement and the balance sheet.

The statement of cash flows has three different sections classifying all cash receipts and payments:

  • Operating: The sources and uses of cash in the operating section come from revenue, expenses, gains, losses, and other costs.

  • Investing: This section shows sources and uses of cash from debt and equity purchases and sales; purchases of property, plant, and equipment; and collection of principal on debt.

  • Financing: You report activities such as long-term liability (paying or securing loans beyond a period of 12 months from the balance sheet date) and equity items (sale of company stock and payment of dividends) in the financing section.

    The Elements of the Statement of Cash Flows - dummies (1)

Explanatory notes accompany the financial statements and contain information that isn’t readily available through review of the figures on the statements. They show how or why a company handles various transactions. For example, notes to the financial statements tell the reader what type of method the company uses to depreciate its assets.

About This Article

This article is from the book:

About the book author:

Maire Loughran is a certified public accountant who has prepared compilation, review, and audit reports for fifteen years. A member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, she is a full adjunct professor who teaches graduate and undergraduate auditing and accounting classes.

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The Elements of the Statement of Cash Flows  - dummies (2024)

FAQs

The Elements of the Statement of Cash Flows - dummies? ›

A cash flow statement has three main sections: operating activities, investing activities, and financing activities. Operating activities show the cash inflows and outflows from your core business operations, such as selling goods or services, paying salaries, or buying supplies.

What are the elements of the statement of cash flow? ›

The three main components of a cash flow statement are cash flow from operations, cash flow from investing, and cash flow from financing. The two different accounting methods, accrual accounting and cash accounting, determine how a cash flow statement is presented.

What is a statement of cash flows for dummies? ›

The cash flow statement includes cash made by the business through operations, investment, and financing—the sum of which is called net cash flow. The first section of the cash flow statement is cash flow from operations, which includes transactions from all operational business activities.

What is the cash flow statement simplified? ›

A cash flow statement summarizes the amount of cash and cash equivalents entering and leaving a company. The CFS highlights a company's cash management, including how well it generates cash. This financial statement complements the balance sheet and the income statement.

What is the statement of cash flows and what are some questions it answers? ›

The statement of cash flows answers the following questions about cash: (a) Where did the cash come from during the period? (b) What was the cash used for during the period? and (c) What was the change in the cash balance during the period?

What is the most important line on the statement of cash flows? ›

Operating Activities

It's considered by many to be the most important information on the Cash Flow Statement. This section of the statement shows how much cash is generated from a company's core products or services.

What element of financial statement is cash? ›

1. Current Assets: Cash and other properties owned by the company and could be easily converted into cash in one year. It is an important indicator of the company's financial status because it is used to cover short term obligations of the company's operations.

What is the purpose of the statement of cash flows? ›

The purpose of the statement of cash flows is to provide a summary of cash receipt and cash payment information for a period of time and to reconcile the difference between beginning and ending cash balances shown on the balance sheet.

What is the beginning cash on a cash flow statement? ›

On the cash flows statement, beginning cash is the amount of cash a company has at the start of the fiscal period. This is equal to the ending cash from the previous fiscal period.

How to prepare cash flow statement from balance sheet with example? ›

Follow these steps to prepare a statement of cash flows:
  1. Choose a time frame and method to use. ...
  2. Collect basic data and documents. ...
  3. Calculate balance sheet changes and add them to the statement of cash flows. ...
  4. Adjust all noncash expenses and transactions. ...
  5. Complete the three sections of the statement.
Feb 3, 2023

What is the statement of cash flows Quizlet? ›

The cash flow statement shows all sources of cash and all of the uses of cash. Provides information about cash receipts (inflows) and cash payments (outflows).

What are the elements of the balance sheet? ›

A balance sheet consists of three components: assets, liabilities, and shareholders' equity.

What are the three major components included in a statement of cash flows quizlet? ›

The three components of the Cash Flows Statement are Cash from Operations, Cash from Investing, and Cash from Financing. If you could use only one financial statement to evaluate the financial state of a company, which would you choose?

What are the elements of financial performance? ›

Financial performance is a complete evaluation of a company's overall standing in categories such as assets, liabilities, equity, expenses, revenue, and overall profitability.

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